2015 Mazda CX-5 on sale in Australia from $27,190

A facelift has been announced in the form of the model year 2015 Mazda CX-5, bringing revised styling and a host of interior and safety improvements.

The Mazda CX-5 has long since been the most popular SUV in the sub-$60,000 segment in Australia. During all of 2014, 21,571 examples were sold. This was easily enough to fend off its nearest competitor, the Toyota RAV4 (18,160 units sold in 2014).

For the facelift Mazda is introducing something it calls i-ACTIVSENSE technologies which aim to improve overall safety, as well as the company’s latest MZD Connect interface system boosting overall convenience and connectivity in the cabin.

The i-ACTIVSENSE tech includes an electric park brake, adaptive LED headlights, lane-keeping assist, driver attention alert, smart city braking, and radar cruise control for some variants.

In terms of exterior design changes, the 2015 version gets a new-look front grille now featuring five slats, along with LED fog lights, and a set of fresh 19-inch double five-spoke alloy wheels for some models. There’s also two new colour options including Sonic Silver Metallic and Titanium Flash Mica.

Mazda has made some changes underneath to improve the drive and handling, with reset suspension that apparently offers a smoother and flatter ride, with noise and vibration levels reduced thanks to revised sound absorption materials.

Three engine options continue to be offered, including the 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder producing 114kW and 200Nm, a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder developing 129kW and 420Nm, and a 2.5-litre petrol producing 138kW and 250Nm.

Despite the added equipment and updated tech, prices for the new model have dropped for some variants. This is partly thanks to the new Japan Free Trade Agreement. As such, the entry level Maxx with the manual transmission is now $610 cheaper than when it was launched back in 2012. See below for the full price list and changes where applicable (excluding on-road costs):

Brett is the editor and founder of PerformanceDrive. He's obsessed with driving, having played with Matchbox cars until he was tall enough to drive a real one. After initially working as a mechanic, Brett earned a degree in journalism and entered media as an editorial assistant at Top Gear Australia magazine. He then worked at CarAdvice.com.au. His dream is to live next door to the Nurburgring in Germany.